And, according to The Sun, Hiddink wants to bring in an English forward to aid a Chelsea strike force which have managed just five Premier League goals between them this term.

The Sun adds that Leicester City record-breaker Vardy and West Bromwich Albion rebel Saido Berahino are top of his shortlist on the eve of the transfer window.

Vardy recently broke the Premier League record for scoring in successive games by bagging in 11 matches in a row and has a division-high 15 for the campaign.

The Foxes are top of the table, 20 points above 16th-place Chelsea, but the former non-league forward is 29 next month and may not be able to resist the temptation.

Berahino is known to be looking for a way out Albion. Tottenham Hotspur had four bids for the Burundi-born forward rejected in the summer, as The Guardian reports.

Spurs may return next month for Berahino, who has not started for the Baggies in the league since October, but seemingly face competition from across London for his signature.

It seems strange that Hiddink would identify these two strikers as targets and specify the buying of an Englishman when he has spent all but six months of his long career outside of the Premier League.

Neither are blockbuster names or serial winners, but perhaps this is an indication of the stature of players that Chelsea can attract in the New Year while sitting as low as 16th in the table.

Or the Blues are looking for a cost-effective, short-term solution. Hiddink is unlikely to stay beyond the end of this season and therefore will not be given the full extent of Roman Abramovich’s pursestrings.